CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek Dosirak Review [Korean Food]

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Hello! Today’s new CU lunchbox is the Bapdoduk Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek, released under the Pbick lineup. CU’s “Pbick The Kitchen” is a branding effort that pulls the once-scattered convenience-store ready meals under one roof. True to its slogan of “a proper meal, with even one side done generously,” the products I’ve reviewed so far have mostly been solidly tasty. This one pairs thick soy-glazed pork (ganjang bulbaek) with a Cheongyang chili-anchovy relish, a combination I hadn’t seen before! So let’s take a closer look, shall we?

Table of Contents

📋 At a Glance

Product: Pbick Bapdoduk Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek Dosirak
Store: CU (convenience store)
Price: 5,900 won (approx. $4.30 USD; app and card discounts advised)
Calories: 669 kcal
Weight: 393 g (sodium at 76% of the daily recommended intake)
Main components: soy-glazed pork (domestic hind leg), Cheongyang chili-anchovy relish (the kick), cockle salad, dolssae-stir-fried greens, rice
Spice: the Cheongyang chili-anchovy relish is spicier than expected
Verdict: ★3.5 — thick soy pork with a spicy Cheongyang anchovy relish makes a distinctive, filling box, though 5,900 won stings a little!

Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek: Price and Key Points

As CU’s fresh-food menu shifted to the Pbick series, so many new lunchboxes appeared that reviewing them has taken a while. By now I’ve covered nearly all the ones from the early rollout. That said, some older boxes were folded into this series in the meantime. This one belongs to the “Bapdoduk” (rice-thief) lineup, which builds on one tasty main side plus an accent side for a point of interest. The price is 5,900 won, a touch on the high end, so it’s best to stack whatever app and card discounts you can.

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek package design

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek main ingredients

The whole box weighs 393 g and comes to 669 kcal, with sodium at about 76% of the daily recommended intake. Since there are no fried sides, the calories stay just barely under 700 kcal for the volume. The sodium, too, is lower than you might expect.

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek spice level

What’s Inside the Box

Let’s run through the layout quickly. Since this is the Bapdoduk lineup of the Pbick series, the number of sides isn’t huge. It comes with one main side, the soy-glazed pork, two sides, and one kick side.

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek anticipation

The Main: Soy-Glazed Pork

First, the pork in the soy-glazed bulbaek uses domestic hind leg. It’s similar to the gochujang pork, but the cuts are shaped fairly thick. Rather than the flimsy bulgogi style, this form gives more of a chew, which I think works nicely.

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek sauce ratio

The Cheongyang Anchovy Relish and Sides

A relish we commonly call cheongyang-gochu-myeolchi-jang, or Cheongyang chili-anchovy paste, sits on top of the rice in a “pretty generous” amount. It usually isn’t the salty-and-spicy type, so this looked like quite a lot to me. I’ll reserve judgment until I taste it. The remaining sides are the cockle salad and dolssae-stir-fried young greens familiar from the earlier Bapdoduk boxes.

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek value comparison

Overall, you can eat the soy pork with rice and the sides like a normal lunchbox. Meanwhile, picking at the Cheongyang chili-anchovy relish here and there rounds it out nicely. The side count is on the small side, but the pairing is one I hadn’t seen before, so I’m curious how the flavors will come together.

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek convenience meal feature

Taste Test: How Does It Actually Taste?

Now let’s dig in. The kick here is surely the Cheongyang chili-anchovy relish, but the main side has to be the soy-glazed pork, so I started with a piece of that.

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek consumer reaction

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek soft egg roll

Thanks to the thickness of the meat, the chew is genuinely good. The seasoning isn’t too aggressive either, and the savory depth is quite nice. Rather than a teriyaki-leaning soy type, it’s real soy sauce with a few sweet touches added, just enough to linger on the palate. I also liked that the grilled aroma doesn’t come on too strong. It pairs perfectly with rice.

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek fishcake texture

Next up is the menu’s kick, the Cheongyang chili-anchovy relish. Not knowing how spicy or salty it would be, I picked up just a tiny bit with my chopsticks first. Maybe it was only my box, but the heat was spicier than I ever imagined. However, the saltiness was just right, so I figured a pinch with each bite of rice would work well.

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek review photo

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek meat quality

It can’t help but be the kick, since even this much is plenty for a full bite of rice. Both the heat and the salty-savory balance are struck quite well. Of course, anyone put off by the aroma of raw Cheongyang chili may find it divisive. Otherwise, you’ll likely enjoy it a lot. That said, the top of the rice where it sat did pick up quite a bit of heat!

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek comparison review

The remaining sides are mostly unremarkable in a good way. The cockle salad and dolssae young greens have shown up in earlier Bapdoduk and other Pbick menus, so whether this is a seasonal item hasn’t been confirmed. I’d assumed it was seasonal, but given how long it’s stuck around as a side, maybe not. The flavor is decent, easy to eat alongside rice.

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek composition review

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek new menu recommendation

Final Verdict

Personally, the portion here was just right and filling, so it worked well as a single meal. The one thing that nags at me is the price. At 5,900 won, it feels pricey even for a convenience-store box. The sides may be unusual, but looking at the amount and the count, it was hard not to think about getting my money’s worth.

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek discount info

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek sauce feature

Still, the composition was distinctive enough, the flavor was decent overall, and crucially, the portion was in no way lacking for a single meal, so I didn’t have much regret. If you’re curious what a lunchbox version of Cheongyang chili-anchovy relish is like, or if you love the combo of thick soy pork and white rice, this is a menu you’ll enjoy. For anyone in Korea who likes a spicy-savory rice booster, it’s an easy grab at any CU.

CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek menu composition

For more on the CU PBICK The Kitchen convenience-food relaunch and its Bapdoduk lineup that this Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek belongs to, you can read the (Korean source) ET News report on the PBICK relaunch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How much is the CU Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek Dosirak?

It’s 5,900 won (about $4.30 USD). The box weighs 393 g and comes to 669 kcal, with sodium at 76% of the daily recommended intake. It’s a touch pricey for a convenience-store box, so stacking app and card discounts is worth it.

Q. Is the Cheongyang Ganjang Bulbaek very spicy?

The kick side, the Cheongyang chili-anchovy relish, is spicier than you’d expect. The saltiness is just right, so a pinch with each bite of rice balances well, but anyone put off by the aroma of raw Cheongyang chili may find it divisive.

Q. What comes in the box?

The main is soy-glazed pork (domestic hind leg) with the kick relish of Cheongyang chili and anchovy, plus sides of cockle salad and dolssae-stir-fried greens over rice, in the Bapdoduk lineup. The side count is small, but the combo of thick meat and spicy anchovy relish is distinctive.

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